Thanks for the counsel, Derick. I'm not going to respond to him directly. I'm responding to the one who sent me the e-mail and her mom. Having been at Palm Beach Atlantic (1992-1994) and Southern (1995-1997), I agree that they cloak their words and thoughts in harmless phraseology --- but come on, prof. Any hermeneutical study will show the different genres all lead to the same end. Ah, lads and lassies --- it makes me blood boil there! Matt On 4/20/05, Pastor David Warner <dwarner@...> wrote: > Good insight Derick. > DW > > -----Original Message----- > From: Derick Dickens [mailto:Derick@...] > Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 2:19 PM > To: pastorsforum@... > Subject: RE: [PastorsForum] An e-mail from a prof at Georgetown College > > Matt, > > Be careful in your response to this man. He worded this letter in such a > way that sets up the opposition side in a predicament. For instance, the > issue of taking the Word of God seriously not literally is a move by which > he will show that you take it figurative in some areas (Are Daniel's 70 > weeks literal weeks or symbolid). No doubt he is a liberal but make sure > you word your response in such a manner to not be taken out of context. > > Just a thought. > > Derick > > > > Derick Dickens > Pastor Wallers Baptist Church > PO Box 95 > Partlow VA 22534 > derick@... > www.thedickensfamily.org > tel: > mobile: 540-582-5703 > 540-894-1772 > Signature powered by PlaxoWant a signature like this? > Add me to your address book... > > -----Original Message----- > From: M.R. Perry [mailto:treasuretheword@...] > Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 9:47 AM > To: pastorsforum@...; rblist@...; > churchreform@... > Subject: [PastorsForum] An e-mail from a prof at Georgetown College > > Dear friends: > > One of the members of our church attends Georgetown College here in > Kentucky. A discussion arose in class about whether they are a liberal > college or not. Here is the introductory paragraph, followed by an e-mail > from the professor to the student. I will responded already to the mom and > the student, but get this, especially his comments about how he takes the > Bible "seriously, but not literally." > > A shame. > > In Christ, > > Matt > > P.S. Forgive the arrows. > > > We got into a BIG BIG BIG discussion yesterday in class. We are studying > > John right now and we were comparing John to the other gosples (which we > > found is really hard because they are almost NOTHING alike! But we were > > talking about how "LIBERAL" Jesus was. Alot of people got upset and 1 or > > 2 even walked out for calling Jesus liberal. In the middle of the heated > > discussion my friend Megan brought up the question, "Are we a liberal > > Baptist college?" Which started a whole new heated discussion. I got this > > email this morning from Professor Redditt. He is really good about > > emailing us stuff outside of class and trying to teach us even when we are > > not sitting in his class. > > I though you all would find this compelling and interesting what we talked > > about in class! > > > > <3, > > Rhea, Annie, Sis > > > > > > ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- > > Subject: Liberal Baptist > > From: Paul_Redditt@... > > Date: Mon, April 18, 2005 1:39 pm > > To: Paul_Redditt@... > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > I wanted to continue with Megan's question "Aren't we a liberal Baptist > > school?" You are perhaps aware that the college is taking flack right now > > from some people in the Kentucky Baptist Convention about its being > > liberal, and particularly the Religion Department here. > > > > > > > > To call someone "liberal" always needs to be put in context: for Kentucky > > Baptists we are "liberal." For example, we have allowed dancing on campus > > for half a century. We allow students, even women, to wear shorts on > > campus and to class. > > > > > > > > Would we fuss at you for having a beer with a meal at Appleby's? Nah, not > > if you are twenty-one or over anyway. Would we take action if we caught > > you drinking campus? Yep. Are we liberal, conservative, or two-faced? None > > of the above. What you do off campus in non-college related activities is > > your business. What you do on campus or in campus-related activities is > > not only your business but also ours. > > > > > > > > How about in our theology? We do not require students to be professing > > Christians though over 90% are. We do require full-time tenured faculty to > > be professing Christians. Is our theology nevertheless liberal? Baptists > > historically do not have creeds (i.e. stipulations about the faith one has > > to believe in order to belong). GC requires no credal statement of its > > faculty. How about me? Under Staff Information, I describe myself > > something like this: I am a born-again, baptized, Bible believing, > > evangelical, Trinitarian Christian. Sounds orthodox. I go on to say, > > however, that I think it is more important to take the Bible seriously > > than to take it literally -- and spent a couple of weeks showing you why! > > Does that make me liberal? Liberal in comparison to whom or what? In > > comparison with many conservative Kentucky Baptists? Probably -- on some > > subjects anyway. I suspect, however, that many "conservatives" lead lives > > less traditionally Christian than mine: I do not drink, run around on my > > wife, beat my kids, cheat the govt or my neighbors, etc. In fact, a > > minister friend of mine once told me that my lifestyle is so boring he > > couldn't see how I can stand to live it! Does that make me a better > > Christian? I doubt it. More legalistic? I hope not. My point is that > > people - or institutions - are liberal or conservative on various issues > > in comparison to other individuals or institutions. > > > > > > _Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary_ defines liberal as follows: > > one who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, > > traditional or established forms or ways. Once again I am liberal > > (open-minded) and not (I follow a pretty conventional lifestyle). > > > > > > The dictionary says of synonyms the following: "generous, bountiful, > > munificient" mean "giving freely and unstitningly." I give away about 13% > > of what I earn. I try to help people, etc. I will leave it to you to > > decide if I am generous. (Leaving aside whether I am a generous grader.) > > > > > > Differently stated, the word "libreral" covers a lot of territory. So > > again: before I call someone "liberal" I want to know "in comparison to > > whom or what on which issue(s)." I remind you that there are people in > > this country who thought Ronald Reagan was dangerously left wing. (Yes, I > > said and meant "left.") > > > > I would like to think that in the best senses of the word "liberal" > > (openminded, etc) we are a liberal Baptist college. My description of what > > we do here is that we offer a liberal arts education informed by [note: > > not enslaved to] and in dialogue with Christianity. If that also makes us > > liberal, so be it! > > Rev. Matt Perry > Pastor, Boone's Creek Baptist Church > 185 N. Cleveland Rd. > Lexington, KY 40509 > matt.perry@... > (859) 263-5466 > > Director, Seminary Extension Programs, Boone's Creek Baptist Association, > Winchester, KY > > For some great news, log on to > http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/. > -- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: > pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... "In essential > things, unity; in non-essential things, liberty; and in all things, > charity." > > > -- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: > pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... "In essential > things, unity; in non-essential things, liberty; and in all things, > charity." > > > -- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: > pastorsforum-unsubscribe@... "In essential > things, unity; in non-essential things, liberty; and in all things, > charity." > > -- Rev. M.R. Perry, Pastor Boone's Creek Baptist Church 185 N. Cleveland Rd. Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 263-5466 http://www.boonescreekchurch.com